Questions tagged [weather]
Weather means atmospheric conditions including wind, temperature and precipitation, often in a specific area or at a specific time.
3
votes
2answers
82 views
What is the purpose of including sea level pressure and temperature in a METAR?
In a METAR such as this one:
KGOK 161553Z AUTO 18011KT 4SM BR OVC007 07/05 A3011 RMK AO2 SLP201
T00670050
Translated to:
Jan 16, 1553Z, Automated. Mist, Wind from 180° at 11 knots, 4 statute
...
1
vote
3answers
95 views
How is the effect of wind on arrival time handled?
If a commercial plane encounters strong tailwinds, would the pilots set the autopilot for a fixed arrival time (if that is possible), or would it be ok to arrive way ahead of schedule?
I imagine ...
3
votes
1answer
52 views
When is a high pressure system associated with IFR/MVFR conditions?
So I've read that typically high pressure systems bring good weather and clear skies. However, for the current high pressure system we're experiencing in central USA, we're having quite a bit of IFR/...
1
vote
1answer
42 views
Can a SIGMET last less than initially forecasted?
Lets say I have a SIGMET that says VALID 310800/311200.
Is it possible that by 1100 the SIGMET would not be active anymore or it will always be valid until the published end time?
-2
votes
3answers
153 views
Did AF447 cross dangerous weather?
question
Did the Air France 447 pilots endanger the passengers by not diverting around but flying straight through the weather system encountered and pictured below ? Or was this a defendable, ...
1
vote
1answer
139 views
When do pilots facing bad weather turn back (U-turn)?
Passenger aircraft are not supposed to cross red areas on the weather radar. But what if the weather system is too large to circumnavigate and red areas inside the system are too large/prevalent to ...
5
votes
3answers
122 views
Are winds that are not from the prevailing wind direction more often gusty, and why?
It seems to me that, looking at the ground weather forecasts (as opposed to, say, low level forecasts), it's far more common for the wind to be predicted to be significantly gusty when it is blowing ...
1
vote
3answers
167 views
How do pilots decide whether to circumnavigate bad weather?
How does an airline pilot decide in the air whether to circumnavigate or fly through bad weather visibly looming ahead and/or displayed on the weather radar ?
1
vote
0answers
50 views
What is the specific FAA regulation with regards to a pilot dropping jumpers into a solid cloud base? [duplicate]
What is the FAA regulation with regards to a pilot dropping jumpers into a solid cloud base? I saw some parachute jumpers come through a solid cloud layer with a base at around 1300 AGL. They landed ...
0
votes
1answer
76 views
Do any civilian aircraft use AESA or PESA for weather radar?
Are there any weather radars in civilian aircraft that uses active or passive array techniques? I know that the most of the radar used in the civilian aircraft use doppler effect and latest military ...
3
votes
1answer
215 views
What if the tower Is obstructed by clouds?
I know towers use radar to watch aircraft, obviously. But what about ground controllers? What if their view is obstructed by a low cloud level/fog?
Is there such a thing as ground-based traffic ...
0
votes
2answers
44 views
Remote access to Area Forecast Discussion
Is it possible to access Area Forecast Discussion via SMS? I fly to remote areas frequently (Wilderness), and after several days, it is almost impossible to get a good weather forecast, (one you're ...
2
votes
0answers
99 views
Diversions because of fog: What are the reasons?
It's fog season again around my local airport MUC (EDDM), and I have noticed a number of diversions recently. Some planes were holding a bit before attempting to land, performed a go around and then ...
2
votes
1answer
115 views
With wind, what will a perfectly circular flight path relative to the surrounding air look like from the ground? [duplicate]
Let's suppose that an airplane flying at a uniform airspeed follows a perfect, level, closed circular trajectory with respect to the mass of air. Now, seen from the ground, and in the presence of a ...
10
votes
2answers
1k views
How long does a wind shear last?
I've got a job interview next week and the interviewer asked my colleagues this question. I didn't find the answer online, I personally don't think that there is a certain duration for a wind shear ...
0
votes
2answers
119 views
What should I look for in weather reports in order to pick a day for glider flying?
I understand weather can change unexpectedly, and local sky condition (e.g. cloud types) can't be predicted, but if I want to fly glider at a specific location, say, some time next week, and use ...
1
vote
3answers
289 views
Do IFR / VFR weather minimums include ceilings?
I'm not really sure how to ask my question, but there are classifications for weather conditions for MVFR, IFR, and LIFR. The FAA also has weather minimums for flying VFR in the different airspaces ...
6
votes
2answers
325 views
How did this air force plane likely get into the eye of Hurricane Florence? [duplicate]
The annotation for this CNN video says
Air Force plane flies into Hurricane Florence
Watch as a US Air Force plane flies into the eye of Hurricane Florence to collect weather data for the ...
3
votes
2answers
108 views
Is the size of hail on the ground any indication of the winds and updrafts of a thunderstorm?
Is there any rule of thumb or way to estimate the wind speeds or up and down drafts inside a storm by the size of hail that reaches the ground?
8
votes
2answers
336 views
Can small planes see lights on the ground?
I live about 5 miles from a small airport. At night, during rain or snow storms when I imagine there would be poor visibility, I always turn our outside house lights on, in case they could possibly ...
8
votes
2answers
603 views
When the winds aloft are light and variable, what wind direction and speed should I use for flight planning?
What do you input in a navlog for wind direction and velocity, when the wind and temp forecast says 9900+18? I know 9900 means light and variable winds less than 5kts but how do I determine the ...
2
votes
1answer
102 views
Where can I find the German GAFOR online?
Where can I access the GAFOR for Germany for free online (or at least something close)?
0
votes
1answer
65 views
Weather Reporting of wind direction [duplicate]
General weather reporting for wind direction in Australian Standard the degrees in wind direction identifies where the wind is coming from.
Is it the same around the world?
3
votes
1answer
183 views
In an ATIS broadcast, is the visibility in statute or nautical miles?
I think I remember seeing somewhere that since it's an observation at the surface, statute miles are used for the visibility. Would be nice if someone had a reference.
21
votes
3answers
3k views
Was ATC overstepping its boundaries when advising a pilot to ignore a cell warning?
I found a clip on YouTube (via an article on Jalopnik) of an Aer Lingus pilot departing from JFK. Due to a weather cell showing up on his instruments, he can not make the left ATC asks him to make.
...
13
votes
1answer
3k views
Why is the flight duration of the same flight different in different months? [duplicate]
For example:
CX880 (HKG TO LAX) takes 13h40m on the 2nd of August, but only takes 12h50m in September.
CI008 (TPE TO LAX) is the same; it takes half an hour less in September than in August.
What ...
23
votes
3answers
3k views
How do hot air balloons navigate?
Hot air balloons are quite obviously carried along with the wind, so how can they be navigated? Choosing the correct launch point relative to the desired landing point would seem to play a major part ...
2
votes
0answers
46 views
Can a weather forecast tell me if airplanes will leave long contrails? [duplicate]
Training 7 ball and 5 club juggling requires me to look up into the sky for durations of up to one minute. Frequently, this is very taxing on my eyes and, frustratingly, requires me to wear sunglasses....
0
votes
1answer
140 views
What does this wind symbol mean? [duplicate]
At https://www.aviationweather.gov on the Forecasts puldown, then the Aviation Forecasts selection, the chart opens and often shows what looks like a letter R with a tail in the lower right, in ...
3
votes
2answers
872 views
Icing conditions temperature range: SAT or TAT?
Considering the general rule of thumb defining potential icing conditions: temperature between +10 and -40 degrees C and presence of visible moisture,
is the temperature range regarding TAT (total ...
3
votes
1answer
331 views
Why were these Hawkeyes flying in a circular pattern?
A couple of months ago I was near the Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia, when I saw 3 or 4 planes flying in a tight circular pattern. The planes were on the larger side, prop driven and had large ...
2
votes
1answer
215 views
Why does GR mean hail in a METAR?
Wouldn't you think they'd choose HL instead?
That might confuse pilots who frequently see SS (Sandstorms),
DS (Dust Storms) and VA (Volcanic Ash).
1
vote
1answer
455 views
What API can I use to get FAA NOTAMS or will this one I found work?
I am not sure if this is the correct place to ask this because it has to do with APIs with XML/JSON/SOAP, but it also has to do with aviation.
I am in dire need to find an API associated with the FAA ...
0
votes
1answer
66 views
What to do when moisture forms on the helicopter's canopy in a weather front?
Moisture has condensed on the canopy of your helicopter as you fly through a weather front – what should you do?
2
votes
1answer
100 views
What does “RA” mean in the FAA Terminal Constraints?
I'm trying to interpret the Terminal Constraints listed on the Operations Plan Advisory (https://www.fly.faa.gov/adv/adv_spt.jsp). RA seems to be used in the context of weather, but I haven't been ...
3
votes
1answer
186 views
What do these numbers and symbols on the ICAO SIGMET chart represent?
Anybody who can identify the numbers and alphabets in the red, green, and purple circles on the chart above?
1
vote
1answer
123 views
How can I find out what time an airport was closed due to weather?
Where do I find at what time an airport was closed, due to inclement weather, on a specific date? I completed the first leg of my flight, which was one hour from take-off to landing. When I arrived in ...
5
votes
2answers
969 views
How do modern commercial aircraft handle dust storms?
I live in West Texas where dust storms are an occasional fact of life. I am interested in how modern jet aircraft handle dust storms such as the one seen in the photo. From a pilot POV I can see that ...
3
votes
1answer
625 views
What's the difference between aquaplane and hydroplane?
If one reads through 10 articles describing a plane which overran a contaminated runway, the term aquaplane will be used 9 times and the term hydroplane once (and on that one time there will be a ...
1
vote
1answer
83 views
What is the reason behind the colors used for different flight categories?
In Skyvector, Foreflight and Aviation Weather Center the following colors are used for flight conditions:
LIFR = Magenta
IFR = Red
MVFR = Blue
VFR = Green
In most contexts, red is used as the ...
3
votes
3answers
329 views
How can an inexperienced pilot tell if the weather is good enough for flying?
When I look at weather in the morning of my flight, it looks good. However, the actual determination can be made later during the day closer to my flight time.
Being a student pilot, how can I ...
3
votes
1answer
264 views
Can aircraft depart/arrive after another aircraft has sprayed snow on the runway?
Does snow spray affect runway surface friction? The weather was bitterly cold on March 18th, 2018 and Birmingham airport was covered with snow. As you can see in this video, an A380 sprays snow on the ...
1
vote
1answer
232 views
Where is the weather data for the Garmin G1000 retrieved from?
In a few videos I saw the possibility of looking for example at wind data. Now my question would be where does the G1000 gets the data from?
6
votes
3answers
247 views
Is a weather briefing required? [closed]
Are pilots legally required to obtain a weather briefing prior to some or all flights?
1
vote
0answers
137 views
Did these weather conditions require the airline to cancel a flight? [duplicate]
[I do not believe this question duplicates a previous question, which involves different conditions and circumstances]
I'm interested in the airline's response to a query of mine about why a flight ...
2
votes
1answer
90 views
What is the relationship between mountain breeze and air pressure?
I am studying for my PPL and am having some problems understanding the mountain breeze phenomenon, especially when it comes to my understanding of pressure.
Basically, I've read that during the day ...
11
votes
2answers
362 views
How do airlines handle SIGMETS?
In general, what is the action taken by airlines when presented with a SIGMET in the projected route. Will they go around it, cancel the flight prior to takeoff, or simply fly thought it anyway?
As ...
1
vote
0answers
43 views
How do commercial pilots know turbulence is ahead? [duplicate]
On commercial flights, an announcement will be made if turbulence is expected ahead and if the route will be adjusted such as moving to a higher altitude.
How do pilots know that turbulence is ahead ...
5
votes
2answers
849 views
What is the required cloud clearance in G airspace when there are clouds just above in class E airspace?
This is my first question here and I am about to start my Private Pilot License (PPL).
Now I am flying in my Flight Simulator X. So, I am at KDKK airport. It has an elevation of 692 MSL . I got my ...
49
votes
6answers
13k views
Why was my flight cancelled due to bad weather while other flights were not?
I'm stuck in Frankfurt. I missed my connection due to a delay. I was rebooked, but this new flight was also cancelled due to bad weather.
About 30 percent of all flights were cancelled today. ...
